Vela
by Yanara126
Summary: Vela's life is a bit strange and sometimes it scares her. Her mother is there for her as well as she can.


I have risen from the dead! Where I'll probably return soon, because I doubt my inspiration will stay.

Anyway, it's been a while since I played PoE and the Wiki is not overly helpful, so please forgive me any detail errors. I know that technically you only get Vela in PoE2 if you kept her during the quest, but I like my version better. You are welcome to correct any mistakes, I always try to get better.

Will I ever finish a normal story? Who knows. I sure don't. I only know that Vela is my baby and deserves more. Also, please no spoilers, I haven't finished Deadfire yet.

For anyone who cares: My Watcher looks how she looks because I always liked the white Hair aesthetic and have watched The Witcher too much. She is a ranger with a wolf companion and a mercenary past. She is a benevolent but rational Watcher, 'because my no consequence power fantasy is getting to help everyone'. Quote end. Have fun reading!

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Vela is two when her parents give her away. She won't remember of course, but she will have heard the story. Though she won't mind in the future, her mother made sure she knew of the ways of her people, she very much minds then. She cries and screams and fights it as well as a two-year-old can. She doesn't know that she almost signs her own death sentence with it. She doesn't know a great many things at that point. She doesn't know that her parents think it an honour to give her up to chieftain of the Three-Tusk Stelgaer. She doesn't know that her siblings will call her The Lost One. She doesn't know that her new caretaker wants her dead. She only knows she's being taken somewhere else and she doesn't like it. She calms down after a while and becomes sad. No one is listening and she doesn't understand why. Only a young man comes by every so often, he is the only one who plays with her sometimes. Her new caretaker is rarely there, and when he is, he stares at her with what she will later learn is both disgust and envy. But at this time, she doesn't know any of this. She isn't happy. She doesn't feel loved. But she lives, and that's all she has to do for now.

Vela is three when she dreams of a strange woman. She has hair as white as her bone toys and strange yellow eyes. She has long pointy ears, like some of the people outside she sometimes sees. With her bow she looks like one of the hunters she is not allowed to bother. The woman stands over her crib and looks down at her with a strange mixture of kindness and anger. Vela is afraid of her. And she cries.

Vela is three when she wakes up and the Twin Elms are in a frenzy. She doesn't understand what's happening and nobody explains it to her. At some point later she gets told that her father would not return. She doesn't understand that either. She has no one she connects with that word. She cries because they make her nervous. Much later she will learn that the chieftain of the Three-Tusk Stelgaer has just surprisingly died of a sudden illness. She will look at her mother's face when she says it and will keep her doubts to herself.

Vela is four when the woman from her dream returns. That day they dress her up in the clothes she isn't allowed to play in and lead her to the big hall. Everything is big and intimidating and everyone is hectic and no one is telling her anything. The young man she likes comes, takes her hand and leads her to the end of the hall with the big chairs. There stands the woman. She looks a bit different than before. Cleaner and less rugged. Beside her sits an animal. It looks scary, but not as much as the Stelgaer outside. The woman still scares her, but at least she doesn't look so angry anymore. She even smiles and Vela hesitantly smiles back. Then she notices the other people in the room. They don't smile. She tries to hide, but she is pulled to the centre in front of the woman. She doesn't understand everything, but she understands that she is supposed to leave with woman. She cries at that. She isn't happy here, but she knows here. The strange woman kneels in front of her and smiles again. She tells her that it will be alright, that she doesn't have to be afraid anymore. For some reason Vela believes it.

Vela is four when she gets a new home. And a mother.

The years at Caed Nua will always be her most treasured ones. She is not alone anymore. She always has someone to play with. Her mother doesn't always have time, but she never sends her away. She doesn't always have answers for her questions, but she always tries. Soon the years before fade from her memory and become shadows in the night. She cries less now.

Vela is six when she meets The Watcher of Caed Nua. She never associated the name with her mother. She knows the people call her that, but it never seemed important. One day when she is six and playing at mother's throne (the nice, talking one), a man comes in. That isn't surprising, there are always people, but this one is a bit strange. He looks haggard and sad. He's carrying a large, lumpy bundle in his arms. He opens his mouth to say something, but looks at Vela and stops again. Her mother tells her to leave for the first time. Not in an unkind way, but still firm and not to be objected. Vela is confused. And curious. She leaves, but remains around the corner to peek. Her mother doesn't notice. They talk a bit, but Vela doesn't understand much. The man puts the bundle on the floor. There is a boy in there, but he doesn't move. Mother goes to him and suddenly goes slack. All tension leaves her and she lists a bit to the side. Her eyes are empty and unseeing. It's the first time in Caed Nua that Vela is afraid. She runs to her mother and cries, but she doesn't react. The man flinches, but she doesn't care, she just wants her mother back. She thinks she can hear the throne in the background, but that doesn't matter either. She only stops crying when she can feel her mother's hand in her hair. She looks up and sees a sorrowful look on her mother's face. She gets told off later for disobeying, but for now she just takes comfort from her mother's soothing presence. It takes some time to get used to that side of her mother and she can never quite shake the fear when she sees it, but she understands the importance of it.

Vela is seven when she meets The Butcher of Crägholdt. It's a completely normal day until the attack. They are both in the throne room when the door suddenly breaks and a group of men storms in with angry screaming. Vela doesn't even have the time to scream when an arrow comes flying at her. But instead of her, it hits her mother in the shoulder. Her mother tells her to hide behind the throne, so she scrambles away and cowers down. She hears the grunts and screams and she cries again. When she can't take it anymore, she peeks around corner and immediately wishes she didn't. The throne room is a bloodbath and her mother fights like a wolf. The floor is already slick with blood and there are still a few enemies standing. But the scariest part are her mother's eyes. She thinks wolf again, but she has never seen this look on her mother's pet. This rage and murderous intent with no mercy. Vela doesn't know how long it takes for the guards to show up. She only knows her own terror. When the danger is over and the guards are taking care of the bodies, her mother stands panting in the middle of the room. When she sees Vela she seems relieved and takes a step towards her, but Vela is still terrified. She jumps up, bolts out the door and runs to her room. No one follows her. It takes her days to overcome her own fear and go talk to her mother. It is a tearful talk, but in the end Vela understands. She is still afraid, but she knows now, that whatever happens, her mother will always protect her, no matter from who and no matter the necessary means. And she will never forget that.

Vela is eight when her mother dies. She is not in Caed Nua when it happens. Her mother sent her to Defiance Bay a few weeks prior, to start a probational apprenticeship with the Crucible Knights. She is still too young for a proper one, but through her mother's connections she is allowed to try out a miniature version. She starts to hear rumours that Caed Nua was destroyed, but of course she doesn't believe them. She has seen the giant adra colossus underneath the castle, but how is that supposed to move? And then, a few days later, a blonde man comes to her saying he is a friend of her mother. The knights know him and even respect him, so she goes with him. He brings her to a small room he rented and in the bed lies her mother. Breathing, but completely motionless otherwise. She cries. She doesn't know what else to do. The man says he bought a ship and that they need to follow the colossus. He asks if she wants to accompany him. Of course she does. She watches as the man carries her mother onto the ship and puts her in a new bed. Her mother never moves. On the ship is her mother's throne. Well, it's not a throne anymore, but it can still talk. The not-throne explains to her what happened. That everyone is dead and her home is gone. She has no tears left to cry. She stays with her mother while they sail. She only ever leaves when the blonde man, Edér, he says, tells her to get some fresh air. Her mother never wakes.

Vela is eight when her mother wakes up and tells them they are chasing a dead god with part of her soul.

Vela is eight and she tries to help the only way she knows how to. By not crying anymore.


End file.
